The Goddess Ponagar Festival opened in Khanh Hoa province on May 5, attracting over 100 groups of pilgrims from many provinces and cities.

The Goddess Ponagar Festival opened in Khanh Hoa province on May 5, attracting over 100 groups of pilgrims from many provinces and cities.

Ninh Thuan hosts largest ever Cham festival

Posha Inu Cham Towers attract int’l tourists

Visiting Cham’s Poklongarai Towers in Ninh Thuan

This is a major festival in the southern part of the central region and the Central Highlands, which is associated with the legend of and the worship of Goddess Ponagar, who is credited as the mother of Viet and Cham people in the central region.

The festival will run through May 8.

Candles were lighted up at the Ponagar Tower.

Thousands of people flocked to the festival.

Over 100 groups of pilgrims attended the opening day.

Pilgrims in queue, waiting to their turn to get into the tower.

Getting into the tower to perform rituals.

An old man beats a drum to open the festival.

A band using traditional Cham musical instruments.

Cham dances.

Source: VNE